Today’s world of work is defined by new technologies and digital capabilities – but it takes careful planning to get the most out of them.

From small businesses to large enterprises, every company’s digital transformation journey is unique. Whether your goal is to drive operational efficiency, streamline communications, redesign supply chains or enhance customer service, technology usually provides a quicker route to it.

If you're looking at managing a successful digital transformation for your own business, this guide is designed to help you understand how to get up to speed with your own digital strategy. These practical steps can help you evolve as a business and drive your next digital transformation initiative to long-term success.

Digital transformation is the process of integrating technology across an organization to deliver fundamental changes in operations, communications and ways of working. Rather than a one-off project, think of it as an ongoing commitment to innovation and evolution as a business. 

At its core, digital transformation typically involves a combination of intuitive systems, software and networks, which together support organizations to scale at speed while enabling their workforces to become more agile and productive. These systems are usually cloud-based and easy to integrate with your wider tech stack.

But choosing the right tech is only half the battle. Competitive advantage comes by linking systems back to primary business goals, KPIs and sector-specific challenges. Without strategic thinking, investment in digital tools can lack clear ROI. It also leads to systems operating in silos – and that’s a huge barrier for operational efficiency and collaborative output.

Research from Harvard Business Review revealed that digital leaders deliver stronger business growth and bigger shareholder returns over a period of four years – so there’s plenty at stake for businesses that don’t get it right.

While most organizations will have started digitizing key business processes years ago, they often rely on outdated legacy tools and manual workflows that don’t feed into a fully connected digital infrastructure. Today’s best practice is based on automation, omni-channel communications, data analytics and software that communicates with one another – not endless spreadsheets and standalone systems.

Market leaders understand the importance of keeping pace with the latest capabilities and taking time to audit processes on a regular basis. That's the only way to continue uncovering and capitalizing on the opportunities which give them an edge over competitors. 

Not all businesses take that approach, however. Many find themselves lagging behind the competition, not because they don’t see the value in technology, but because they don’t know where to focus their investment or don't have a clear idea of the business outcomes they want to deliver.

Digital transformation comes in many different forms, though its goal is always to use digital technology to support certain business functions, fundamentally changing how they operate and deliver value to customers.

There are commonly thought to be five pillars of a digital transformation strategy, also known as the 5 A's. These are:

Awareness is the foundational step in digital transformation, where an organization recognizes the imperative need for change. This involves understanding the advancements in digital technologies, their potential impact on the industry, and identifying opportunities for adopting these innovations.

Building this awareness necessitates a culture of continuous learning and staying attuned to shifts in customer preferences and competitive strategies.

In the assessment phase, companies take a critical look at their current capabilities, technology infrastructure, and readiness for transformation.

This step is about identifying areas of strength and pinpointing weaknesses that could hinder digital initiatives. Evaluating the organization's status involves analyzing data, soliciting customer and employee feedback, and determining where digital efforts should be concentrated to fill gaps and capitalize on strengths.

Alignment ensures that digital transformation efforts are closely integrated with the broader business objectives. Achieving this harmony requires leadership to articulate a clear vision and strategy, securing buy-in from stakeholders across the organization.

Communicating the benefits and implications of digital transformation encourages a unified direction and a supportive culture.

The action phase involves the practical execution of digital transformation projects—implementing new technologies, optimizing business processes, and introducing digital products or services. It demands agile project management, a readiness to learn from trial and error, and scaling small successes into broader initiatives.

Acceleration focuses on expanding and enhancing digital transformation efforts to deepen their impact. This final step leverages initial successes, using data for continuous improvement, and aims for digital innovation to be a persistent, evolving process that drives competitive advantage.

The digital technologies for a digital business

Every business is different, so the requirements for digital technology will vary depending on various factors. But in general, there are five different categories of digital systems that will be available.

Here's a quick rundown of popular digital transformation systems and their associated benefits:

Automated systems are enabling today's organizations to streamline internal communications, production planning, resource allocation and many other business processes. Major benefits include increasing efficiency, reducing human error and freeing up staff to focus more on strategic tasks. The ability to ping automatic notifications and alerts for critical events or delays means that managers never miss a beat, even when focusing on other areas of operations.

The IoT is the umbrella term given to all of your connected software and digital tools. Whether it’s HR or software or data dashboards used by office workers to inform key decisions or digital screens that engage frontline staff on site, interconnectivity between devices is vital to creating a richer experience for employees and customers alike.

Most businesses are sitting on a goldmine of customer, employee or operational data, yet many don’t know how to turn it to their advantage. Intuitive data dashboards provide real-time insights into operations and productivity, helping businesses spot recurring trends, reduce downtime and maintain a 360-degree view of business performance at all times.

Cloud computing is the backbone of modern IT infrastructure, allowing companies to scale systems as they grow and enabling remote access capabilities. This is a far cry from the on-premises systems of years gone by. Cloud networks now provide authorized access and remote monitoring from any location, which allows workforces to become more flexible across their day-to-day processes.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning is quickly evolving, and enabling organizations to analyze data, enhance customer experiences and forecast valuable projections. Chatbots, predictive analytics and personalized marketing are all becoming increasingly commonplace in the digital age.

How to develop your own digital transformation strategy

The nature of digital transformation differs from business to business, so every strategy will have its own motivations and objectives depending at which stage of the digital transformation process they are.

Remember that reaching 'digital nirvana' doesn't happen overnight. It takes time to fine-tune internal systems, business models and tech stacks to make sure every piece of software is operating in harmony.

If you're looking for a place to start, these five steps are a useful guide that can be applied to any transformation strategy:

The first step is to work out the strengths and weaknesses of your current systems and technologies. This may be targeted to a certain area of your business, or to the company as a whole.

Conducting a full-scale audit every now and again will give you a detailed understanding of internal processes, and enable you to flag up any holes in efficiency before they start leaving a dent in productivity. 

Some of the elements to check might include:

Security and data compliance of current systems

While this isn't an exhaustive list, and you'll likely have unique demands and concerns for your digital business model, this is a solid starting point for any planning.

Once you’ve identified your areas for improvement, you’re in a prime position to start establishing what you aim to achieve. It’s crucial to link back your planned investments to clear business goals.

Where possible, start benchmarking your current key performance indicators such as productivity, employee engagement, staff retention, customer experience or anything else relevant to your strategy. This can later be used to compare the impact of transformation and demonstrate tangible ROI and business value.

By now you should have a set of clear goals for your digital transformation strategy. These will naturally become the criteria you’re looking to fulfill when looking for a system to match your needs.

While the tools you choose will depend on many factors, such as the overall business strategy, chances are there will be a wide choice. Often the choice of the best solution will come down to the widest range of features, the best support or simply the best pricing package.

With a shortlist of potential providers, try out any free trials or product demos so you can see first hand how well a new software could support your business.

Before rolling out new digital transformation initiatives, create a detailed plan that outlines the steps needed to achieve a successful implementation. This roadmap should include:

There will also likely be a time frame when old systems are phased out and the new solutions are introduced. Remember that these types of workforce transformation can be prone to disruption and teething problems, especially when implementing digital technologies. This is especially the case in a large, distributed or non-tech savvy workforce.

It's often a good idea to share the company wide strategic vision as and when you have the plan outlined. This gives everyone ample time to mentally adapt to the changes before they actually need to do anything.

Good communication is key to strong employee engagement, so bear this in mind as you roll out the updates.

Factor in time for problem solving and ensuring that everyone who needs to be trained is ready on the day.

Finally, don’t forget to prioritize initiatives based on their potential value and feasibility to the organization.

Having already laid all the groundwork, there’s nothing left to do but to push the button and bring your new systems live.

With a well planned out roadmap, the theory is that the digital transformation should be relatively seamless. The key to a successful digital transformation is to ensure that the people who need to be involved are aligned and aware of their role.

This then means that any technical issues can be dealt with efficiently, and the transition can be completed with minimal disruption.

Choate Construction: Digital technologies in action

Let’s take a look at a transformation scenario using digital signage as an example.

With more than 530 employees and six regional offices, Choate Construction is one of the largest general contractors in the Southeastern United States and has built a strong reputation in the industry for being a leader in innovation and technology-forward practices. 

Its internal comms team wanted to integrate a platform that would help them reach multiple office and work sites quickly, while also being cost effective. The company previously relied on emails and legacy technology which was expensive, difficult for users to navigate and unable to meet the company’s varied internet connectivity needs, particularly within remote and on-site locations.

Choate turned to ScreenCloud with a clear objective in mind: to integrate a new, centralized system that would connect multiple sites and engage staff across all locations – read the full case study to see what you could learn from their digital transformation efforts.

The world of work is becoming more digital by the day, which means only the most agile and adaptable business models will thrive in the face of new challenges. Customer expectations are evolving too, with many people now expecting slick digital experiences as standard.

Aside from investing in valuable technologies, strong leadership and a clear vision is vital to get digital transformation projects off the ground and then sustain success. Innovation should be seen as an ongoing process, so that managers and teams continue to highlight and capitalize on any available opportunities to become more efficient. Marginal gains add up to a big difference over time; whereas relying on outdated systems that no longer meet modern expectations will leave you scrambling to keep pace with digital transformation leaders.

With so much at stake, it’s crucial to plan digital transformation strategies based on priorities and investment in the right areas.

Automation, data analytics, IoT and cloud computing are the foundation needed to streamline processes and maximize productivity. For any organizations that find themselves lagging behind the pack, it’s time to start building.

Transforming business with digital signage

Digital signage is a versatile tool used in many different industries. The main benefits of digital signage include the improvement in communication, both internally and externally, and the ease of installation and use.

Whether using digital displays to improve your digital marketing message; or displaying data dashboards, presentations and messages, digital signage fits into almost any business strategy.

ScreenCloud is the choice of over 10,000 businesses worldwide, in industries as diverse as finance and government, through to education and retail.

Find out why digital signage should be part of your digital transformation strategy. Schedule a demo, or get your free trial.

Make sure to download your free copy of The State of Digital Signage 2024 for expert guidance and research into the latest digital transformation trends and internal comms challenges currently facing industries with frontline workers.

[Download the report]

Whether it’s upgrading systems or running an audit of business processes, a digital transformation strategy is an important part of modern business.

What is a digital transformation strategy?

What is a Digital Transformation Strategy?

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How it works:

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What is a Digital Transformation Strategy?

What is a Digital Transformation Strategy?

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